Minister launches Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project

A
trailblazing project to help businesses recruit and
retain people with disabilities and long term health conditions has been
formally launched by Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People,
Health and Work.

The Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project is the first
of its kind in the UK. It aims to widen the pool of talent and experience
available to employers, creating opportunities for local people and helping to
tackle skills shortages.

In Cornwall and the Isles of
Scilly there are almost 50,000 working age people whose day-to-day activities
are limited by a long term illness or disability. This is over 15% of the
working age population, and well above the national average, but research shows
that many businesses lack the confidence and knowledge to employ them.

The Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project was
officially launched by Sarah Newton during GrowthFest, a celebration of local
business support at the Royal Cornwall Showground.

It is being led by the Cornwall & Isles of
Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) with £465,000 secured from the
Government’s Work & Health Unit.

Local MP
& Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Sarah Newton said: “Speaking with many employers, they
tell me the fear of not being able to offer the right support can often be the
biggest barrier when considering opening up their workforce.

“That’s why
the work of the Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project is so important.
It will help businesses become more confident in supporting employees
with health conditions and disabilities, to ensure they’re recruiting from the
widest pool of talent possible.

“Cornwall
is leading the way with this inclusive employment project, helping the many
people with health conditions and disabilities to be able to get into
employment and thrive in the workplace. I am determined to ensure that everyone
who wants to work has the opportunity to do so. We have set an ambitious target
of supporting one million more disabled people into work.”

LEP chair Mark Duddridge added: “Sarah
has been a champion of this project from day one and we are delighted to have
her support.

“We are now appealing to businesses to get involved
because their input will be vital to removing the barriers to employment that
we know exist. Our goal is to showcase how working together
at a local level can help improve the employment outcomes for everyone in our
community, and we will be sharing our findings with other regions of the UK.”

In the coming months the LEP will
work closely with the business community to examine how businesses make hiring
decisions, and promote more inclusive employment practices through education,
confidence building, a digital hub, and peer-to-peer support.

The project will encourage businesses to learn from one
another and share experience and good practice, and will have
a dedicated business engagement manager to work directly with local business
networks like the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small
Businesses.

About 83% of people who have a disability or long term health
condition acquire it while they are in work, and on average people with
disabilities are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as people without
disabilities.

Businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly wanting
to find out more about Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project should
visit the Cornwall & Isles Growth Hub website or
email beaconproject@cioslep.com